Beulah outruns, ousts Black Devils

• Ben Laufer

Press Photo by Dustin Monke Hettinger junior guard Ben Laufer, right, drives against Beulah sophomore Jesse Hettich during a Region 7 tournament quarterfinal game on Monday at Knights of Columbus Activities Center.

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The Beulah boys basketball team kicked off the Region 7 tournament the only way they knew how Monday afternoon at the Knights of Columbus Activities Center.

The Miners started hot and never really cooled down, defeating Hettinger 73-51 in the quarterfinals.

“It was a great start for us,” Beulah head coach Jeremy Brandt said. “At this point in the season, it doesn’t matter how you win.”

Beulah, the District 14 champions, jumped out to a 15-2 first-quarter lead and continued to the keep the Black Devils at bay for much of the first half.

Hettinger, however, battled back and to closed Beulah’s lead to just 27-26 with 5:26 left in the second quarter.

“We knew we were going to face pressure,” Black Devils head coach Dustin Laufer said. “We are a slow-starting team. We have been all year. Today it was just too much for us to overcome at the end.”

Sophomore Jesse Hettich had game highs of 20 points, 11 rebounds and seven steals to lead the Miners.

“Jesse disrupts and creates a lot of problems for teams on defense,” Brandt said.

Beulah (18-4) had three other players score in double figures. Senior Leighton Guthmiller scored 16 points, Dustin Rueb added 12 and Cody Nelson had 11.

Beulah forced 25 Hettinger turnovers and accounted for 19 steals.

The Miners scored 36 points off turnovers.

Beulah’s superior defense was evident in the third quarter as they held Hettinger to just six points in the opening quarter of the second half.

“At half we refocused a little bit,” Brandt said. “That led to the big stretch we had in the third.”

Beulah outscored the Black Devils 28-14 in the second half.

Junior Ben Laufer scored a team-high 17 points and had five rebounds and four assists.

Hettinger (10-12) was District 13’s No. 4 seed in the tournament.

“To Hettinger’s credit they battled back and didn’t make it easy on us,” Brandt said. “But we know that right now if you don’t win you’re done.”

Hettinger 19 37 43 51

Beulah 23 45 63 73

H: Ben Laufer 17, Stephen Kristy 14, Ander Thompson 10, Justis Caldwell 5, Dylan Chadwick 3, Cory Christman 2.

B: Jesse Hettich 20, Leighton Guthmiller 16, Dustin Rueb 12, Cody Nelson 11, Tanner Dolbec 6, Trevor Zacher 4, Noah Iverson 3, Karson Hintz 1.

3-pointers: H 2 (Cladwell, Laufer), B 2 (Nelson, Rueb). Free throws: H 11-14, B 13-23. Total fouls: H 19, B 15. Fouled out: Chadwick. Rebounds: H 29 (Kristy 9), B 29 (Hettich 11). Assists: H 8 (Laufer 4), B 11 (two with 3). Steals: H 4 (Christman 2), B 19 (Hettich 7). Blocks: H 1 (Laufer), B 4 (Zacher 2). Turnovers: H 25, B 14.

Tags: region 7 tournament, sports, preps, basketball